RWBY: Leo
by RYNO IV
Summary: Dust - the most valuable and applicable substance on Vytal. With it, even the lowliest human can become powerful... with the help of their Aura. They call it Aura as if everyone has it, but few actually have one strong enough to manipulate Dust. For most, their Aura is so weak it's nonexistant. Leo doesn't care - he has a mission, and he'll see it completed any way he can.
1. Leo

RWBY: Leo

* * *

Junior sat at the bar of his demolished club, nursing a beer with an ice pack held delicately at his crotch. His beat-down at the hands of that blonde chick not even two days earlier was still fresh in his mind. Hell, he was completely humiliated. He could hear whispers from his own goons about how utterly powerless he was before Blondie's onslaught. Junior could've retorted that he wasn't the only one who got his ass handed to him.

But he was their leader. If nothing else, he had to bear the brunt of his men's frustrations.

He shifted, groaning as a fresh wave of pain lanced through his groin and all the way up to his swollen cheek.

"Goddamned brat…" he muttered, turning in his seat to look over his club… or what was left of it.

Like him, the bar had been beaten bloody. The dance floor had been demolished to a pile of broken glass and lights – his men had only now finished cleaning up the mess. Pillars were missing, the smell of spilt booze hung in the air, and the bar itself was missing several of its choice selections thanks to Blondie throwing him into the back wall. He was _still _picking glass out of his backside.

Note to self – not so much glass in the remodel.

Junior waved down a passing stooge and said, "What's the status on Torchwick's job?"

The goon shrugged. "No word yet, boss. Although I heard on the news that he's still at large, so the cops didn't nab him… Can't say the same for our boys, though."

Junior growled and waved his underling away. He waited until the goon was out of earshot before saying, "Great, more bribes. I'm not made out of money, dammit… I _knew_ I shouldn't have hired out to that guy."

Just then Junior spotted someone coming through the front door. He was… strange, to say the least. He was of average height, wearing a buttoned trenchcoat that fell to his knees and baggy enough that Junior couldn't tell if he was muscle-bound or simply fat.

He was young too, a little older than that Blondie chick, so Junior couldn't figure out why the teen was limping like an old man. Or why his right sleeve was empty, fluttering about as he walked.

Junior sighed when the teen spotted him and made a beeline for the bar. "Great… more kids…"

The youth grunted as he settled onto one of the bar stools next to Junior. "Hi. You Junior?"

Junior's eyebrow quirked behind his red-tinted sunglasses. _This kid doesn't miss a beat._

He looked at the teen, a scraggly looking kid with a mop of dishwater-brown hair and blue eyes. Still, he seemed harmless enough.

"Who's asking?" Junior asked.

"No one, really. Just some kid."

Junior snorted. "My club might be trashed, but I still make it a point to know who I'm going to be working with. Besides, aren't you a little young to be in this club, kid?"

The Kid snorted as well. "Aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?" he retorted.

A wave of déjà vu washed over Junior and he scowled.

"So you know who I am. You got a name, or what?"

"…Leo."

Junior nodded. "A'right, now that we know each other's names, what do you need?"

Leo frowned. "What do I need?" he echoed. It was more contemplative than questioning, as if searching for the right words, but Junior mistook it as a question.

"Right. I get things people normally can't. If you can name it, I can find it and sell it to you for a… _reasonably_ good price," Junior said, and took a long drag of his beer.

Leo shook his head, not noticing the two girls that had begun to approach him from behind. "Reasonable, huh?" he said sarcastically. "Fine. What I need is information."

Junior shrugged. "What I can give depends on what _you're_ willing to give. Information on what?"

"Not what. Who."

Leo pulled a photo out from his pocket, an awkward movement with only one arm, and set it before Junior. What Junior saw made him spew his beer all over the counter.

It was Roman Torchwick, the man who hired him right before getting mauled by the Blondie Bitch. Same white suit, cane, hat, everything, right down to the arrogant smirk plastered on the wiry man's face. It captured him when he clearly wasn't expecting it, with Torchwick giving orders to someone out of the frame.

"…How did you get this?" Junior asked, wiping suds off his chin.

Leo shrugged, leveling a cold glare at Junior as he observed the thug's reaction. "None of your concern. I know he came to you to hire thugs recently."

"…Your point being?"

Leo slapped several bills on the bar. "Where is he?"

Junior eyed the money – with that amount of cash, he could easily repair the club with more to spare. Still, he glared at the boy and said, "I don't have to answer any questions I don't want to."

Leo stared at him. "Why?"

"Militia! Melanie!"

The pair of girls stalking their way towards Junior now came to his side, each virtually identical aside from the red dress Militia wore, and the white one Melanie wore. Like Junior they were worse for wear after their beating, Melanie sporting an angry black eye and Militia with a bruised gut that didn't let her walk without wincing.

"Yes?" Militia quietly asked, while Melanie demanded, "What do you want?"

Junior abandoned his drink, getting up from his seat to walk away. "Escort him outside. He has no business here, and I don't out my clients."

The girls grabbed Leo by his shoulders. "Come with us, please," Militia said, managing to swallow the pain in her stomach.

Leo sat there for a long moment, absolutely silent. After getting to his feet, however, he stopped and shook his head, mentally steeling himself before turning around on his heel.

"Junior!"

The twin sisters frowned and tugged on Leo's shoulders. He didn't so much as wobble, let alone take a step towards the door.

Junior turned and raised an eyebrow when he saw the twins struggling to make him move. The pair had an exceptionally strong aura, so not many people could make them struggle like that. Well, aside from that Blondie Bitch, but she was in a class of her own.

"I'm not finished yet. I _need_ that information."

Leo almost seemed desperate.

Junior snorted and nodded to Melanie. She nodded back with a knowing smirk.

"This is my club, and _I'll_ decide when you're finished."

Before anyone could react Melanie spun and drove the back of her heel into Leo's gut, bowling him over with a pained grunt. He gagged as he fell to one knee, clutching his stomach with his one hand. Melanie stood over him triumphantly as her sister looked on in shock.

Junior smirked and walked off towards the back of the club, trusting his partners in crime to remove the pest.

"…M-Melanie?" Militia stuttered. "He wasn't even fighting you…"

Giving an arrogant smirk, Melanie grabbed Leo by the collar of his trenchcoat. "You really should get more used to this, Militia," she said in an easy tone. "Punching people is part of our-"

Suddenly there was a ripping of fabric and Melanie shrieked as she was sent flying. Militia gaped at her sister's sudden flight, shocked of what was before her.

Leo was still on one knee, clutching his injured gut… but his trenchcoat was ripped to shreds on the right side, where a thick, tubular mechanical arm was poised in a massive uppercut. It was an armored monstrosity, longer than any human arm would be, with four fingers and a pair of hydraulic pistons connecting the shoulder to the middle of his back and his collar bone.

This… _thing_ was why he wore the absurd trenchcoat.

It was all to hide the monster, one that shocked the goons fixing the club into silence.

Grunting, Leo got back to his feet with the mechanical arm limp at his side. He gave Militia a harsh look. "Unless you want to end up like your sister, you should-"

A flash out of the corner of his eye made him bring his monster up, blocking Melanie's vicious kick. Sparks flew as he staggered back to stay upright, yet out of the corner of his eye he saw the goons begin to circle around them.

Melanie glared at him and wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. "Touch my sister and I'll kill you," she hissed, her casual tone gone.

Leo ripped the remains of his trenchcoat off, revealing a grey tank, black pants and heavy boots. "I don't have any business with you," he said. "I just need what your boss knows."

He got no response – instead Melanie lunged forward, kicking her bladed heels at Leo's head. He blocked her attacks with his human arm and shoved her away with the mechanical, the force from the monster making her skid back several feet. She was unaffected, leaping back at him with kicks towards his lower legs.

Militia snapped out of her stupor and sprang into action, timing swipes of her clawed gloves with Melanie's kicks. Back and forth, one girl attacked while the other wound up for their own strike, never ceasing or slowing. The onslaught forced Leo back as he struggled to keep up with the two girls.

The twins shared a look and they lunged at Leo at the same time. Surprised and unable to parry them in time, the attacks struck with enough force to fling Leo over the heads of the goons surrounding them before finally smashing into the bar wall, disappearing behind the counter.

Militia cringed as even more bottles of booze broke.

Melanie, on the other hand, gave an arrogant smirk. "This is way too easy. He might be strong, but he isn't nearly as fast as that blonde bitch. Want to go finish him off, or do you want me to?"

"…We're just supposed to get him to leave, not kill him," Militia said sternly.

"So? All we have to do is throw him out the door," Melanie said. "It's doesn't matter if he's dead or alive at that point."

Suddenly, they heard a groan from behind the counter. The goons and the twin sisters stiffened as Leo slowly wobbled back to his feet, bracing the monster against the counter as he hauled himself upright.

"Ugh… okay then, new tactic," he muttered, rubbing his head. A panel of armored plating slid back and he reached inside his own arm. Militia and Melanie tensed as they waited for whatever he pulled out, but what he held in his left hand surprised even them.

Leo smirked as the armor slid closed and he hefted his new toy, a menacing weapon with a large revolver mechanism for its ammunition. "C'mon, you never seen a grenade launcher before? Too bad."

He aimed the gun between the sisters and fired with one hand – they didn't have time to react before the round exploded at their feet and launched them all in the air, Militia towards the dance floor, Melanie flying directly at Leo, and the thugs blasting off in random directions. He only had eyes for Melanie however, and readied his mechanical arm.

Melanie was caught in the stomach by Leo's brutal haymaker, and she screeched as she flew nearly twenty feet before crashing in the middle of where the dance floor once was. Frozen where she lay, ears ringing from the explosion, Militia stared at her unconscious sister before dumbly looking to Leo. He stood there nonchalantly, grenade launcher resting on his shoulder and mechanical arm on his hip.

"Concussive rounds," he explained, watching as Militia shakily got to her feet. "Nonlethal, but it's like getting hit by a Mack truck. Hurts like a bitch."

She began to lift her arms to attack, but stopped with Leo continued, "Hold up. I hate violence, so just stop, alright?"

Militia didn't say anything. Instead she growled and leapt at Leo, clawed gloves aimed right for his throat. He brought his monster up like a shield, letting the attack simply bounce off before kicking her in the gut. She hissed in pain, stunned just long enough for Leo to shoot her pointblank with a concussive grenade.

Like her sister she was blasted away, flying several feet before crashing to the ground. Leo waited with the gun on his shoulder again as she staggered back to her feet, face blackened with soot.

"…I was wondering why we couldn't sense you as a threat," she said, her arm crossed over her injured stomach. "Aura users give off a unique energy, and only other aura users can sense it. But you don't have an aura, do you? Otherwise you never would've caught us off-guard like this."

Leo grew quiet, simply watching her impassively. His face showed no emotion at all.

Militia staggered over to her fallen sister and kneeled beside her. Looking over her sister, she said, "Aura lets us do incredible things. But without it, humans are weak. They're nothing."

She looked at Leo, an accusing look in her eye. "The only strong thing about you is that arm and that gun. If Melanie and I weren't already injured by _her_, we would've demolished you. You're only human."

Leo shrugged. "Yeah, whatever," he said dismissively. "And who is 'her,' exactly?"

"Yang Xiao Long."

At hearing that name Leo suddenly choked and spluttered on his own breath, nearly dropping his grenade launcher. "W-wait… _that_ Yang Xiao Long?"

Militia nodded.

"Holy shit, no wonder I won. She beat the hell out of you."

Militia snorted weakly, her battered body drained from all its abuse.

Leo frowned and slid the grenade launcher back in his arm. "Anyway, you okay?" he asked concernedly.

"…You launch my sister and I across the room and you ask if we're okay?" she said incredulously.

"…Ah. Yeah. That was pretty dumb."

Militia snorted once more.

"Anyway, later," he said, turning to where Junior had walked away to the back of the club. "I need to have a chat with your boss."

"It's pointless," Militia said. When Leo looked at her questioningly, she continued, "He doesn't know himself, that's partly why he was so unwilling to help you. My sister and I would know that, and we also know he has no problem ratting out former employers."

She groaned, cradling her sister in her arms. "Honestly, no one knows where Roland Torchwick has gone... But there is at least one lead," she said, adding the last part when Leo looked crestfallen.

"Really?!" he nearly shouted. There was a pause, and he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment when he realized he sounded just like a little kid.

"Right…" Militia trailed off. "Anyway, the person you want to find is named Ruby Rose. She was the last person to see Torchwick."

"And where's she?"

"Last Junior heard, she was going to attend Beacon Academy."

Leo nodded and turned to the door. However, he didn't even get halfway before he realized something. "Hey, kid."

"It's Militia," she said, scowling.

"Why are you helping me?"

"To get you to leave," she said honestly. "You're a wrecking ball, and this club has enough damage done to it."

"Ah…"

"And once you find where Torchwick has hidden himself, you can give us the information as payment for the lead I just gave you."

"So I'm being used. Great." Leo muttered. "And why haven't _you_ gotten the information out of this Ruby chick yet?"

Militia smirked. "Because she's the sister of Yang Xiao Long."

"…What?" Leo demanded.

"No resemblance, but she is. We would've caught up to her ourselves, but we weren't so eager to be demolished by Yang again." Militia said. "She's… _exceedingly_ protective of her sister."

Leo paused, thinking through the information before he gave Militia a nod. "Right. Thanks," he said, before turning on his heel and striding for the door. It was only when they closed that Militia finally collapsed on her side next to Melanie.

_I hope things work out… I'm sorry we failed you again…_

With that fleeting thought, Militia passed out.

"What's all the noise!?" Junior yelled, finally striding out from the back room. His mouth fell open when he saw his stooges scattered across the floor like dominoes, and practically hit the floor when he saw Melanie and Militia unconscious.

He croaked, a strangled sound that died as it left his throat. "Uh… what happened?"

It would be a long while before his men would be coherent enough to answer his questions.

Meanwhile, Leo strode away from the Club without a backwards glance. He kept to the darker streets of Vale City, letting the shadows hide his mechanical arm as he headed for the forest edge. It was only when the buildings had thinned to a suburb that he saw it, a massive cliff that wrapped halfway around Vale City's lake and outlined by the full moon behind it. The forest he had been heading for was tiny in comparison to the bluff, the trees mere matchsticks, yet it stretched around the entire ten-mile wide bay. And at the top of the cliff was Beacon Academy, the chapel-like structure looming high above everything.

Leo stared at Beacon, letting the sounds of water lapping against the shore fill him.

"Alright then, Ruby Rose," he said, clenching his mechanical fist. "Let's see what you know."

* * *

_Alright guys, what'd you think of it? Was it good? Bad? As my first foray into RWBY I hope it was, at the very least, an entertaining read. As you can tell by the way I left things, I plan to continue this story. However, I need to wait until more episodes of the show release - it's hard to write about a universe you know nothing about. I have a basic plot planned, and I've planned for things to come along sometime after Team RWBY gets together, probably after their first or second mission._

_But of course, until Monty gets a move on, my hands are tied._

_Now, I have to disclaim and explain a few things. Fellow fanfictioner, VenomSpider33, has a character similar to mine. This is pure coincidence, as this chapter was having the finishing touches done to it when he posted his story. I've contacted him, but have received no word yet.  
_

_On that note, what did you think of my character? Leo is a bad name, I know, but I'm terrible with names and it just popped into my head. Is he believable? Or does anyone have any suggestions?_

_As for his weapon and arm... I imagined his grenade launcher like a customized MGL-140, without the stock and a shortened barrel. As for the arm, think of something along the lines of Obadia Stane's Iron Man suit from the first Iron Man movie. The arm is similar to the one on that monstrosity._

_Lastly, a new character deserves a theme song. For Leo, I like Now or Never by nano. I hope you like amv's, people, because this one is good. The kid in the video looks similar to what I imagined Leo to be._

_Anyway, have a good day, people. Leave a review if you have any suggestions or complains, and see you when I see you._

_-RYNO_


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

Down the Rabbit Hole

* * *

_I've always had a knack for digging through dirt and bedrock. It's always just been a feeling I have – I would often hear something in my head whisper "it's softer over here," or, "there's something good over here." I know I wasn't actually hearing things. Maybe it was just my miner blood talking. At any rate, I was one of the best in the Fosse Mines, and to be honest I didn't want or need anything else… nothing but my mining suit and a deep tunnel, full of treasures just waiting for me to dig up._

_Until that day._

…

Three Years Ago…

_KOOOM!_

The recoil of Leo's pile driver felt like it was ripping his arms out of his sockets, a foot long spike plunging into bedrock like tissue paper. It retracted into the housing as the large boulder groaned under the abuse – it needed to go, having collapsed into the secondary mine shaft a few hours before. He fired again and again, punching more holes in the rock as shards ricocheted off his armored face plate and chunks fell at his feet. Finally the rock simply crumpled, letting brilliant white light spill into the tunnel and making Leo bring up an armored arm to block the rays.

"Took your fucking time, huh Leo?" a miner heckled as he climbed over the large chunks of boulder.

Leo flipped him off, habits picked up from middle-aged miners rearing its ugly head. "Fuck you. Just get this shit clear."

The miner nodded, his face indiscernible because of the darkened faceplate. "On it. Keller! Get the walker over here!"

As Leo turned and headed back further into the tunnel he heard the sound of the twenty foot tall mining walker rumble to life, an ugly machine with a squarish body for the cockpit and thick arms and legs, with massive scoops for hands. He paid it no mind – he headed further into the shaft, letting the dull cracks and booms of mining charges fade away. Soon there was only him and the brown rock of the tunnel.

"Okay, let's see what you've got for me," he said, pulling a datapad-like device off his belt. It warbled and clicked, its screen like sweeping like a radar and scanning the tunnel walls around him as he walked. He ignored the dozens of small blips on the screen. Instead he marked the wall with a white splotch from a can of spray paint where the most clusters were gathered and moved on.

He walked for at least another hour like this, not stopping until he reached the end of the tunnel deep underground.

"…Well crap, guess my instincts were off today," he muttered, cursing the sudden urge to explore shaft 13-B when he woke that morning. He turned and was about to walk away when the scanner gave an obnoxious screech.

Leo paused, turning back to the wall. He touched it and held the scanner up to the wall, but nothing. He couldn't get the scanner to read whatever it picked up again.

He shrugged.

"Guess the thing's broken."

He turned away once more only to have the scanner scream bloody murder.

Frozen, Leo carefully turned the scanner back to the wall. For whatever reason he could only get the scanner to "see" from where he stood… and whatever was in the wall was giving off a massive reading.

Hands shaking from excitement, Leo hefted the pile driver off his back and began blasting away at the wall, it's sharp reports echoing all the way back to the entrance of the shaft. He had only been at it for a few minutes when the radio piece in his ear squawked.

Leo sighed – someone must've heard the pile driver going off.

"_Leo, what the hell are you doing?!" _a voice yelled over the radio._ "You know 31-B is unstable, you might collapse the entire thing if you punch holes in it!"_

"I know," Leo intoned, not really listening. "I just have a feeling."

"_Screw that, I'm not losing my best miner!"_

Leo rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks, _Dad."_

"_Shut up, Leo,"_ the voice growled._ "I'm not putting you at risk. Shut that driver down and-"_

_KOOOM!_

"_Dammit Leo, what'd I just say!?"_

_KOOOM! _

"_LEO!"_

Leo fired again and again, consumed by a single-minded intensity. He couldn't even hear his father screaming in his ear, or feel the occasional rock bounce off his helmet that got knocked loose in the tremors that shook 13-B. All he could feel was that niggling itch in the back of his mind.

_There's something over here…_

The pile driver plunged into the rock, spent shells littering the ground at Leo's feet.

_Just a little farther…_

The tunnel groaned, displeased at the abuse it was taking.

_HERE!_

All at once the pile driver gave a loud crunch, its mechanism broken. Leo growled and yanked it out of the wall – instead of the sharp jerk he had been expecting it easily came out of the bedrock, and he fell back on his rear from the sudden loss of support. Leo nearly flung the driver in his anger, but stopped when he saw something glittering on the ground just below the crater he had dug into the tunnel wall.

He crawled on all fours to see, not noticing three other miners that came running up behind him. The two flanking the one in the middle cursed and propped themselves on their knees, exhausted from the run.

The one in the middle however stepped forward and growled, "Leo, what the hell are you thinking?! You think you're just some hotshot who can do anything?! I've seen too many men acting just like you die, and I'm not going to let my own son get crushed by-"

Leo suddenly turned around in the middle of his father's rant, an excited grin plastered on his face. He held black crystals in his hand like they were the world's most valuable treasure, cupping them and holding them close to his chest.

"Dad! Dad, look!" he yelled, shoving his hands in front of his father's face plate.

His father had just about to begin another tirade when he noticed the crystals… and all the blood drained from his face.

"Is… is that…?" he weakly muttered.

"Yep," Leo said with a fierce grin. "I found a vein of black Dust."

His father reached out to grab the crystals – Leo grinned at how his hands were shaking. He almost reverently touched them.

All of a sudden the hands morphed into massive clawed paws and grabbed Leo's hand, crushing it. Leo gasped in pain and looked up in horror, watching as his father and fellow miners grew in size until their mining suits simply ripped apart. His horror grew when the last of the suits fell off and three Beowolves stood before him.

The Beowolf gripping his hand lunged forward and sank its teeth into his right shoulder. Leo screamed as it chewed through meat and bone and yanked, trying to rip his arm off, but it was only when it took it's free hand and pulled against his ribs that the pulverized bone finally gave way with a wet schrip. It crushed several ribs in the process, and he coughed up blood when razor sharp bits stabbed into his lung.

Leo screamed as blood spurted from the stump where his arm was, now slowly disappearing into the Beowolf's maw. With blood dripping from its fangs, the creature of Grimm grabbed Leo by his helmet and lifted him up into the air.

"_Thank you very much, Leo,"_ the beast said in an otherworldly voice. "_Thank you oh so very much."_

Leo didn't even have time to scream before the Beowolf opened its jaws, took his helmeted head in its mouth, and began chewing through the metal.

…

"Shit!"

Leo shot up with a start, breathing heavily and sweat dripping off him. His eyes were wide and panicked before he realized where he was, and he let out a long sigh as he rubbed his eyes with his human arm.

"Dammit… what a nightmare…"

Flopping back onto the moss where he had chosen to sleep, his sleeping bag felt unbearably hot even while shirtless. He unzipped it and opened it up to the night sky, revealing the full extent of his prosthetic – half of his shoulder had been replaced by metal housing where the arm met the body and was surrounded by pale scar tissue. Angry red splotches stood out the most, dotted in a semi-circle around the metal shoulder. Almost like a bite mark.

He knew the port extended down his side, replacing four of his ribs with protective metal plating, and if he listened closely he could hear the whirr of the artificial lung in his chest.

The memory of the nightmare haunted him as he stared up at the moon, unaware that not even five miles away, in Beacon Academy, that a girl with silver eyes and highlighted black hair was doing the same thing. Just as the girl fingered her Crescent Rose, he fingered his artificial arm as he slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

…

Early the next morning, sixteen teenagers stood at the top of a massive cliff overlooking Emerald Forest. The wind whistled through the trees below, picking at their clothes, almost like it was pulling them to an untimely death. Standing even closer to the edge was Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, and Glynda Goodwitch, a huntress who had graduated from Beacon years before.

"For years you have trained to become warriors," Ozpin said, cup of coffee in hand. "Today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Glynda nodded. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," she said.

Ruby Rose looked at Goodwitch expectantly.

"Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion," Glynda continued. "Each of you will be given teammates. _Today_."

Ruby was crestfallen. "What? Oh…" she groaned.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with whom you can work well," Ozpin finished, eyes closed.

Ruby groaned again.

Ozpin took a quick gulp of his drink and continued, "That being said, first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ruby's world shattered. "What?!" she screeched.

Farther down the line stood a girl named Nora Valkyrie, excitedly patting the shoulder of Lie Ren. "See, I told you," she said, Ozpin's words a confirmation to the rumor she had told Ren earlier that morning… over and over again.

Ren simply nodded.

"After you've partnered up," Ozpin continued, "make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path, or you _will_ die."

Standing next to Ruby, Jaune Arc nervously chuckled and gulped. Nora gave Ren a wide grin… who did nothing but look at the ground.

Ozpin gulped at his coffee. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately."

He looked over the potential huntsmen and huntresses. "Are there any questions?"

"Yeah, um," Jaune said, raising his hand, "sir-"

"Good," Ozpin said, ignoring Jaune. "Now, take your positions."

All along the line student braced themselves in preparation for their flight. All except Jaune, who still stood with his hand in the air.

"Uh, sir? I've got, um… a question."

At the furthest end of the line, Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, was launched into the air.

Jaune frowned, not noticing the girl's flight. "So this 'landing strategy' thing, uh, what is it? Like, dropping us off… or something?"

Ozpin stared at Jaune. "No," he said in a deadpan. "You will be falling."

Down the line, a boy with a messy Mohawk was launched into the air, again unnoticed by Jaune.

"Oh… I see…" Jaune said nervously, heedless of the platforms launching students into the air. "So, did you hand out parachutes for us?"

Nora Valkyrie squealed in excitement as she flew into the sky.

"No," Ozpin said, Glynda eyeing Jaune with an unimpressed stare. "You will be using your _own_ landing strategy."

"Uh… huh, yeah," Jaune muttered. Little did he know, Ozpin was appalled that someone of his standing couldn't see people being flung into the air not even five feet from him.

Yang, next to her baby sister, gave Ruby a cocky wink as she put on a pair of aviator glasses. She was hurled into the air not even three seconds later and gave a wild whoop as she flew.

Ruby was right behind her and smirked at Jaune.

Meanwhile, as Ruby was launched off the cliff, Jaune frowned in confusion. "So, what exactly is a landing strate-"

His catapult went off, flinging him uncontrollably into the air as he screamed, _"-GGYYYYYYYYY!?"_

Ozpin calmly turned to watch the student's flight, taking a sip of his coffee.

Meanwhile, far below, Leo saw the flying students and quirked his eyebrow. "…The hell is this? Mass suicide?"

He caught a flash of gold among the suicidal students. "…Oh, you gotta be kidding me…"

Determined to catch up to the flash of gold he abandoned all caution, running headlong into Emerald Forest as he muttered curses under his breath. He didn't know there were several pair of eyes watching him, one from the professor through a UAV, and the rest red, feral, and thirsty for blood, hiding among the trees.

* * *

_Alright guys, here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and it's on to the Emerald Forest battle next. Now, I just realized that I misnamed Vale City as Signal City - blame my inattentiveness on this one. I've read the wiki and have corrected the chapter._

_Now, the mining walker I'm talking about is very utilitarian - think of something similar to a crane, really boxy like that. I've looked around, and I really like the design of NickPerrotta's Mining Mech on DeviantArt. It's similar to that, but with a squarish body instead of a spherical one._

_Now, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop a review, it'll be well appreciated. Later, guys._

_-RYNO_


	3. Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang

* * *

High above Emerald Forest, the wind was calm and serene. You could see for miles without a single cloud in the sky, and the trees below made a rolling sea of pure green. A juvenile Nevermore, practically a baby, let itself get carried along by the spiraling thermals as it searched for its next meal. It angled towards a distant clearing…

_POOOF!_

The Nevermore suddenly exploded in a cloud of black plumage.

"Birdy, _noooo!"_ Ruby yelled as she rocketed through the air, horrified that she accidentally shot an innocent bird. She continued firing, aiming her folded Crescent Rose ahead of her to slow down. She was still rocketing towards a tree when she extended her weapon into a scythe and hooked onto one of its branches, flipping once before letting herself drop to the ground.

Weiss Schnee calmly drew Myrtenaster and spun its revolver action as she fell. The rapier gave off a warm hum, glowing slightly as she casted a blue glyph in the air for her to leap off of to slow her flight.

Meanwhile, Lie Ren had drawn his twin bladed pistols, waiting until he flew by a tree to stab his weapons into the bark. He spiraled down, killing his speed long before he touched the ground, and when he did he nonchalantly brushed some unseen dirt off his jacket. He glanced around the clearing he found himself in before a loud bang ripped through the forest, and he looked up to see a blonde rocket streak by.

Yang was having the time of her life, a wide grin splitting her face as she used shots from her Ember Celica to propel herself through the air. Flipping through the air was all too easy for her as she narrowly avoided branches, crashed through the top of a lush tree and began her descent to the ground, kicking off tree trunks like a ninja – in her mind, at least. She tucked herself in a roll as soon as she touched down and took off in a sprint.

"Nailed it," she said triumphantly.

To anyone who didn't know Pyrrah Nikos, they would think she was crazy as she barreled straight towards a pair of dead trees, spindly branches jutting out like spikes. Pyrrah used her shield like a battering ram and blasted right through them like twigs – splinters fell around her as she landed on a thick branch, her javelin named Milō unfolding into its rifle form as she searched the sky above.

A shrill scream caught her attention, and dead in her sights was the falling form of Jaune Arc.

A serene calm took over Pyrrah as she carefully took aim, the rifle changing back into a javelin. She paused a moment, waiting for the perfect time to cut loose… and then threw. The javelin screamed through the air, amplified by the shot her weapon fired as it ate up the distance between her and Jaune. There was a long moment as the weapon and Jaune disappeared below the tree line.

_TWANG!_

"_Thank you!" _Jaune cried distantly.

"Sorry!" Pyrrah yelled.

Meanwhile crashing through the underbrush was Leo, cursing as his prosthetic and bulky backpack caught on the viny bushes littered throughout Emerald Forest.

"Goddamnstupidpiecea'_shit!"_ he growled unintelligibly, ripping his arm free. He was tempted to shoot the poor bush and had pulled his grenade launcher halfway out of his arm when he heard a deep, guttural bellow in the distance.

He froze.

Without a word, he slid the weapon back in and slowly backed away, never taking his eyes off the shadows behind him. Leo knew he was being followed, and judging by how the skin on the back of his neck prickled, it was probably a Grimm.

_Dammit, I hoped to get a bit farther in,_ he thought to himself. _I frickin' hate Grimm…_

It was only when he was out of sight that a pair of bear-like creatures padded through the clearing, never making a sound as they stalked their prey.

…

The area Yang had landed was a dark, gnarled, almost swampy part of the forest, with vines hanging from branches and fog that covered the ground, preventing anyone from seeing their own feet. She was completely unconcerned as she glanced at the forest around her, arms swinging lazily.

"Hellooooo!" she yelled. "Is anyone out there? Hellooooo!"

There wasn't a thought in her mind about what could be lurking in the forest.

Yang threw her hands up. "I'm getting bored here!"

Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes.

"Someone there?" she called out, turning to where she heard the sound. She crept up to the bushes and parted the branches away. "Ruby, is that you?"

A rumbling growl was her response, and a hulking shadow rose from behind the bush.

"Nope."

The Ursa lunged and Yang rolled to the side to evade its massive paw. She ducked under another swipe from another Ursa as it lunged out of the forest, changing her Ember Celica into their gauntlet form just in time for the first Ursa to charge at her once more.

Yang grunted as she sent a fist straight into its gut – it was blasted back just as the second Grimm charged, only to be stopped by an uppercut that lifted it in the air and a kick that sent it flying.

Yang smirked. "You guys wouldn't have happened to see a girl in a red hood, would you?"

The second Ursa bellowed.

"You could just say no!"

She stepped to the side, the Ursa's claws slashing through nothing but air. Yang backflipped to avoid the second swipe… but didn't notice the small _snikt_ as the paw raked by not even two inches from her nose.

Yang rolled her eyes as she bragged, "_Geez_, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a ba…"

The brawler trailed off, distracted by the lock of hair drifting to the ground.

_Her_ hair.

That had just been cut.

_KILL!_

"You…" she growled. Her eyes turned red.

The Ursa's grunted, not knowing the hell they had just unleashed on themselves.

"_You monsters!" _she screeched. Yang let out a feral yell and overloaded her gauntlet's Dust chambers – fire swirled around her as she leapt at the nearest Ursa as it stood and sent a fist into its gut, then its chin, sending the poor beast flying.

She didn't stop there, leaping after it to brutalize the Ursa. Gut, chin, face, groin, face, gut – her righteous blows were too fast to see and powerful enough to send the beast flying when she was done with it, blasting it through several trees.

The second Ursa saw her brutalizing its fellow and charged her, only to stop short and bellow in her face.

"What?! You want some, too?!"

_SHUNK!_

The Ursa suddenly froze.

"Huh?" it grunted… and collapsed at Yang's feet, revealing a large pistol with a blade attached embedded in the base of its skull. It was tied off on a ribbon, and at the other end was a black and white clothed girl – she was pale, with amber eyes and a black ribbon perched on the top of her head.

The girl yanked the weapon out of the Ursa and deftly caught it before giving Yang a smirk, meeting her eyes.

This was Blake Belladonna… and apparently, Yang's new partner.

Yang felt the energy coming off the girl and knew she was the right one. Her rage quieted, her breathing slowing as she said, "I could've taken him-"

There was a crash that echoed through the forest stopped any further banter. It was followed by the loud bellow of an Ursa and a distinctive, hollow thump... and it was headed this way.

Yang gave Blake a cocky grin. "Ya ready for round two?"

Blake rolled her eyes, but pulled Gambol Shroud off her back with the cleaver-like sheath in her free hand.

There was a long moment of silence.

An Ursa suddenly burst from the brush, wildly flailing it's forelegs as it tried to throw off the pest clinging to its back – it was someone they had never seen before, pummeling the Ursa's head like it was a piñata. It was only when a second Ursa flew through the clearing and swatted the assailant off that the barrage finally stopped.

The person attacking the Ursa yelled as he flew through the air and crashed to the ground, finally coming to a rest at Yang and Blake's feet. His right arm was pinned under his chest. Behind him, however, the Ursa he had been pummeling fell to the ground in a heap – neither Yang or Blake could tell if it was still alive, but the way it was twitching and drooling foam told them it wouldn't be much threat either way.

"Whelp, I'd say he's havin' fun," Yang said cheerfully.

Blake shook her head. "More like he made them angry."

"Ugh," he groaned, rolling onto his back. "More like they thought I was lunch."

The Ursa pair was momentarily forgotten as they stared at the newcomer – though he wasn't much older than them, the skin they could see through his battle-tattered tank top was covered in scars, and his right arm was a mechanical monstrosity.

Yang whistled. "Whoa there, buddy. Had a bad run-in with a Grimm, or what?"

Staggering to his feet, he said, "Yeah… something like that."

He looked at the two girls… specifically, Yang. "You…" he said with a frown.

Before Yang could say anything, Blake shot forward and slashed at the Ursa that had been sneaking up behind the newcomer. Her attack pushed it back momentarily.

"Whatever you have to say can wait until we get rid of these two," Blake said, holding her weapons at the ready.

Yang grinned and reloaded her Ember Celica. "Sounds like a plan. Can I have it-"

The newcomer brought his human arm up between them, leveling a short grenade launcher at the Ursa. "Piss off, you bastard," he muttered, interrupting Yang.

The wild shots blasted the Ursa around its chest, shoulders and gut, throwing it back into a tree, though it merely glared at him as it got back to its feet unharmed.

"Uh, hello?" Yang said, quirking an eyebrow at the newcomer. "You actually have to hit a weak point!"

_Isn't he supposed to be a hunter? He should know this!_

He frowned. "Hm. You're right," he said, taking aim.

The grenade launcher fired again and again, pounding concussive rounds into the Ursa's skull. He didn't stop when the fur on its head was burned away, or even when the armor-like carapace shattered before the onslaught. It was only when its head had been reduced to an oozing black pulp that he finally stopped firing.

Yang and Blake stared at the beast as it slumped to the ground, wheezing its last breaths. They were too busy staring at the brutalized Ursa to notice the newcomer turn to Yang.

"Nice to meet you, Ruby Rose," he said, a disconcerting gleam in his eye that made her back up a step. "I'm Leo. I have a few questions for you."

…

High above Emerald Forest, safe from the bloodthirsty jaws of the Grimm prowling within, was Professor Ozpin. He stood at the edge of the cliff his new initiates had been launched from an hour before, ignorant – or uncaring – that he was only a foot away from falling to his death. The wind plucked at him, almost wanting him to tumble off. At any rate, all his attention was focused on the datapad in his hand.

Glynda Goodwitch strode from the forest behind him and joined him at the cliff. "Our last pair has been formed, sir. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren."

She frowned in pity as she stared at the video footage being streamed to the datapad in her hand. "Poor boy. I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos'."

Ozpin shrugged. "Mm."

"I don't care what his transcripts say," she continued, "that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat."

She looked up at the forest below, shutting down her datapad, and said dismissively, "I guess we'll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they'll reach temple within just a few minutes." She turned and walked from Ozpin.

A thought crossed her mind, and she frowned as she turned back to Ozpin. "Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year?"

There was no response, not even a twitch from the headmaster.

"Professor Ozpin?"

What he was so engrossed in was the video of one of the last pairs formed, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, as they bickered while trying to find their way to the temple. He frowned, sighing almost in disappointment.

* * *

_Sorry for the delay, I had a hard time deciding how to write this chapter. I think I like how it turned out in the end, though. I apologize for sticking to what's been said in the show so far - it's helping me get more into the character's personalities, and I'll be putting my own content in soon enough._

_Thank for the favs and the follows, guys. It's helping me stay motivated for this story._

_Anyway, till next time._

_-RYNO_


	4. Tunnel of Love

Tunnel of Love

* * *

"_It's definitely this way," Weiss Schnee said, wandering towards one end of the clearing she and her partner found herself in. She paused midstep, indecisive and unwilling to admit that she, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, was lost. Weiss promptly turned on her heel._

"_I mean… this way. It's definitely this way." She ignored her new partner, unwilling to ask her for assistance… not that she wanted it anyway. Still she paused, bit the side of her cheek, and turned to Ruby Rose, who was sitting on the ground and playing with a leaf._

"_Alright. It's official. We've passed it," Weiss said. _

_Ruby rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "Why can't you just admit that you have no idea where we're going?" _

"_Because I know exactly where we're going," Weiss shot back. "We're going… to… the Forest Temple!"_

Even through the tinny speaker on his scroll, Professor Ozpin could hear the uncertainty in the girl's voice.

"_Ugh," Ruby growled. She was tired, frustrated, and more than a little hungry._

_Weiss rolled her eyes as she said condescendingly, "Oh, stop it! You don't know where we're going either."_

"_At least I'm not pretending like I know everything!" Ruby snapped._

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_It's means you're a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!"_

_It was Weiss's turn to growl in frustration._

"Professor Ozpin?"

Ozpin blinked, his concentration broken as he looked over his shoulder, where Goodwitch was shooting him a half-concerned, half-annoyed glare. "Yes?" he asked.

Goodwitch let out a slight huff and said, "What did you use as relics this year, sir?"

Staring at the drama unfolding on the scroll, Ozpin wasn't hurried at all in answering his assistant. No, it took several minutes and a pink, angry flush to dust Glynda's cheeks before he answered, "…Chess pieces."

He was so focused on Weiss and Ruby's argument that he missed Glynda's quirked eyebrow, a marvel on the woman's normally expressionless face. It quickly disappeared, however.

"Chess pieces?"

Ozpin nodded, finally turning to face her. "Yes. Hunting Grimm is much like playing chess – each piece has a particular role, a specific style. When the pieces work together, defeating one's opponent is simple."

Goodwitch thought about his words, and was about to respond when her scroll gave an angry squawk. A man in futuristic armor appeared on her screen as she answered, "Yes, what is it?"

"_There's a civilian in the forest, ma'am,"_ the man said, his voice made hollow and tinny from his helmet. "_He encountered Black Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long a few minutes ago, I woulda contacted you sooner but reception is a lil' sketchy out here."_

"A civilian?" Glynda breathed, alarmed. "Take Professor Port and intercept them. A civilian getting killed is something Beacon Academy _will not_ have staining its reputation."

The guard looked visibly confused, even under all the armor as he rubbed the back of his head. "_I dunno, ma'am. I ain't even sure he's a civilian. He took on a pair of Ursa, fer god's sake. He took a bit of damage, but he brought both of 'em down… though it was a little… messy."_

It was Goodwitch's turn to be confused. "A civilian defeated an Ursa pair…?"

"…_Should I still get the kid outta there?"_

"No, Mark," Ozpin interjected. "Resume your post and continue watching the students."

"_Sir?"_

"That will be all."

Glynda looked up at Professor Ozpin in shock, and couldn't react in time to stop him from disconnecting the guard.

"Sir, what are you doing?" she demanded, leveling a harsh, withering glare at the headmaster. He didn't seem to notice it as she continued, "A commoner has no place fighting Grimm, he will _die_ if we don't get him out of-"

Ozpin held up a hand, stopping Goodwitch from saying anything more. "Who's to say that he'll die? He _did_ take down an Ursa pair."

He brought up his scroll and turned back to the cliff, fiddling with the device until he was watching Blake, Yang, and the new addition to the group. "Let's just observe for now."

Somehow, as she watched the back of the man she had known for so long, she couldn't help the feeling in her gut that he was making a grave mistake.

…

Yang could feel the pair of eyes boring into her back, drilling into her until it felt like she'd scream. She couldn't help but walk stiffly, arms and legs ramrod straight like a marionette, with a pit of self-conscious insecurity quashing her and making her unable to focus on her surroundings. It was like the newcomer had the ability to instill nervousness in whatever he looked at.

Plus she had the feeling he kept glancing down to her ass.

Beside her was her Blake, easily as nervous as she was.

"_Who is he?"_ she whispered.

"_I dunno,"_ Yang mumbled.

"_He thinks you're Ruby."_

"_I know."_

"_Why?"_

Yang quirked an eyebrow and said a little too loudly, "How should I know, I've never seen him!"

"Hey, you say something?" he called up to them, having trailed back a good fifteen feet.

Yang shot him an easy grin. "Nope, just girl talk!"

He gave a slow nod, and went back to dressing a nasty gash on his left arm he got from fighting the Ursa pair.

A shiver went through Yang at the cold, expectant gleam in his eye. _"I wanna punch him."_

"_It _would_ scare him away," _Blake whispered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Yang was silent for a moment, but Blake could see her partner's eyes turn red as she growled under her breath, "_Not yet. He wants something from my sister. If I keep this act up I'll find out what, and if I don't like the answer…"_

She mashed a fist into her palm. "_I'll bury him in his own crater."_

They had been traveling along an old game trial left by wandering Grimm, leaving the brutally killed Ursa behind in their continued search for the ruins. Well, Yang and Blake's search, anyway – the newcomer insisted on following them with the intention of "answering his questions." She simply tuned him out – after all, Grimm could be watching them at any moment and a distraction would be taken as weakness. Luckily for her, he seemed to get the message and had been fixing himself up for the last half-hour, an impressive feat considering he had a mechanical arm that almost reached his knee and a backpack that looked like it weighed a hundred pounds, all the while walking without tripping.

That still didn't stop the staring.

She needed something, _anything _to get rid of the tension.

"So, what's your name?" she suddenly asked, walking backwards with her hands tucked behind her head.

He and Blake looked at her incredulously.

Yang shrugged, a grin plastered on her face. "You already know my name, and since you owe me lunch after staring at my butt so much-"

The newcomer choked and went into a coughing fit.

"-I figured I should at least know _your_ name."

It took him a minute for him to regain control of his tongue, but when he did he cried indignantly, "I wasn't staring at your butt!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said flippantly, waving him off as she faced forward again. Secretly, she found herself enjoying teasing him.

He scowled. "…the name's Leo."

"See? Now we're cookin'!" She pumped a fist, making Blake roll her eyes.

Leo did the same, rolling his eyes as he took a can of what looked like body spray and aimed it down his ruined shirt. "Geez, aren't you supposed to be this badass huntress, Ruby? You seem more like a kid."

He let out a pained hiss as he sprayed, a noxious, antiseptic smell now emanating from him.

Blake gave a slight smirk. "You should see her sister…" she muttered. Her face suddenly turned green when the smell hit her, and she tried to discreetly pinch her nose shut as her eyes watered.

Yang had opened her mouth to retort but gagged before she could say anything.

"Oh dear god!" she said with a disgusted look on her face, waving a hand to try to clear the air. "Seriously?! Light a match, Mr. Pervert."

Leo spluttered once more. "It's biospray! And I'm not a pervert!"

…

"Think this is it?"

Jaune and Pyrrah stood before a gaping maw of a cave, the only notable thing besides the forest and the cave they had been walking alongside for what seemed like ages now. The two had absolutely no idea where they were now.

That wasn't due to Jaune flying off course and dropping nowhere near where they should've gone in the first place. Not at all. At least in Pyrrah's eyes.

Ignoring the hieroglyph depicting ancient warriors fighting a massive scorpion, the pair ventured into the deep. Their footsteps echoed up and down the long tunnel, making it impossible to tell how far they'd gone. The way lit by the torch Jaune had cobbled together though the pitiful flame barely pierced the darkness.

Ignoring the way the shadows seemed to leap at the edge of the torchlight, Pyrrah said softly, "I'm not sure this is it."

Jaune gave a heavy sigh. "Pyrrah. I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for, maybe, five more feet?"

Not even two feet later he gave a pathetic yelp as he tripped over a rock. Not only did he bash his nose into the stone ground but he tossed the torch right into a puddle, instantly throwing them into darkness. Pyrrah gave Jaune a look of disbelief as he staggered back to his feet, despite that he couldn't see it.

She frowned. "Do… you feel that?" she said cautiously, licking her finger to test the air.

"Soul-crushing regret?"

"No. It's… _warm."_

They fumbled their way through the dark, led by Jaune's curiosity and Pyrrah's need to protect him. They turned a corner and hovering in midair was-

"That's the relic!" Jaune cried triumphantly, jumping excitedly. He reached towards the floating, glowing object, only to have it pull away. At this, Pyrrah frowned. The shape was familiar…

"Hey! Bad relic!"

Pyrrah's gut grew cold as she realized what the object was.

"Jaune…" she said warningly.

It was too late.

…

Despite the growing stuffiness of the forest, the gross, sticky feeling of sweat and the god-awful fumes following them, Yang and Blake emerged atop a hill that overlooked the ruins. The stone monolith was halfway to collapsing entirely, yet it gave off an air that told it be there for long time yet.

Yang stood with her hands on her hips. "Think this is it?" she asked. Blake gave her a look of 'are you kidding me?' before continuing on ahead, leaving Yang to follow. She almost did before a low growl caught her ear.

Leo staggered out of the brush, ripping his mechanical arm from where it was tangled with a growl of, "_Letgoofmeyoustupidpieceof-!"_

"Oi! Major Body Odor! No swearing!" Yang said.

The glare he leveled at her was awe-inspiring. "It's biofoam!"

With a huff he stalked past her, shrugging his pack on – he had been busy switching his tattered shirt for what looked like an armored vest, complete with a belt of small tank shells around his middle. He had modified his grenade launcher on the move as well, removing the revolving magazine entirely. But what was strange was that he clamped it on the on the side of his metal arm just beyond the elbow at an angle – from how it was attached, it would only fire into the air behind him.

Yang frowned, ignoring the antiseptic smell, and trotted down the hill after him. "So, Major-"

Leo growled at the name, brushing a low branch out of his way. Yang was surprised when he held it up for her to duck under.

"-what's it called?"

Leo's scowl disappeared, replaced by a confused frown as he stopped under a large fir. "…What's… _what_ called?"

"Duh! Your arm!" she said enthusiastically. "Mine are Ember Celica."

She willed her weapons to life - Leo's jaw hit the floor as the gauntlets formed over her arm, having not gotten a good look at them in the Ursa clearing. He gave her a bewildered stare as she bumped a fist against his shoulder, a loud clank filling the silence.

Leo blinked and glanced down at his arm. "Uh… it… doesn't have a name."

Yang pouted. "Really? Well that's boring, though I guess naming it would be more in my sister's department."

"Huh?"

"Hey Blake!" Yang called out ahead, her partner getting farther away. Despite the distance Blake stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"_Yes?"_ she replied, her voice dim.

Yang put her arm around Leo's shoulders, earning a furious blush from him. "What should we call his arm? He doesn't have a name for it!"

Blake shrugged. _"I don't know, Tin Man?"_ she said flippantly, continuing towards the ruins.

"Whelp, there you have it! You're hereby christened Tin Man," Yang said, rubbing his head like a dog as she pulled away.

He batting her hand aside, making her laugh in amusement. Leo didn't even get a chance to retort before she jogged back up to her partner, leaving him in flabbergasted silence.

Shaking his head, he looked down to his arm. "…Tin Man, huh?"

He flexed the fingers. They gave a sharp squeak.

"Yeah, right."

A thought crossed his mind. "Dammit, that was the perfect time to ask my questions, too. Frickin' women…"

Meanwhile, Yang was still chuckling as she caught up to Blake. "Oh man, you should've seen his face! I don't even think he's ever had a girlfriend. I mean, he's just so adorable!"

"I thought you going to, and I quote, 'beat him into his own crater.'" Blake said dryly.

"I know, I know," Yang said in a subdued tone, though her wide grin was still present. "Just getting a feel for him. He doesn't _seem_ too bad so far, but I need more time to see what he's like. I don't wanna pummel him if I don't have to. If all he wants is to ask a few questions, I'll tell him my real name."

They reached the ruins, where they could now see pedestals arranged around the monolith. Even with the ruins sticking out like a sore thumb, the "relics" were even worse, since they were-

"Chess pieces?" Blake asked, more to herself than anything as she looked at a black Queen.

Yang looked around at the pedestals. "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here."

Looking around, Blake tried to find some sort of hidden test or meaning in the pieces but failed. "I guess we should just pick one."

They heard rustling from the trees and soon saw Leo burst out as he ripped his arm free from the foliage. He was out of breath as he snapped, "Stop… leaving me behind…! I still have… have questions for you, Ruby!"

Yang rolled her eyes as she looked at the pieces. "Yeah yeah. If you want a date, you should be more direct, Tin Man!"

"Wh-what?!"

Ignoring Leo, who she had shocked once again, she frowned as her gaze settled on one piece in particular.

"Hmm…"

She held it up to her gaze… and promptly grinned, lifting it in the air as she asked Blake, "How about a cute little pony?"

Blake rolled her eyes, but smiled as she said, "Sure."

Walking away from the monolith, Blake smiled. "That wasn't too hard."

"Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find."

They shared a grin, ignorant of the fact that two other pairs were having that exact same issue.

"Wait, what are these chess pieces for?"

Leo was confused as they looked to him, having recovered from Yang's comment. He still had a faint blush, however.

"You two are Beacon students, right?" he asked. "Why you out here killing Grimm? I'd always heard those who got into the school were already badasses."

Yang put her hands on her hips, a grin already on her face. "Well… uh…"

The grin faded as she looked to Blake for help.

"This is our initiation," Blake said, after giving Yang another 'are you kidding me' look. "It makes sure that we are able to follow orders in a timely fashion and that we can handle ourselves in a fight. It helps separate the good from the best."

Leo nodded. "…And if you can't?"

This time, both Yang _and_ Blake gave him 'are you kidding me' looks.

A thought crossed his mind, and before they could say anything else he held up a hand.

"Hold up, I just remembered. I need to ask you a few questions."

Yang frowned. "So this whole time what were you doing besides enjoying the view from twenty feet back?"

He ignored the blush that erupted on his face. "I need you to tell me about this man."

Pulling a photo from his pocket, he held it to Yang as he continued, "You were in a place called The Club a few days before coming to Beacon. A man named Roman Torchwick was seen leaving not long before you… _redecorated _the place_._ Do you know anything at all about him?"

A flash of recognition shone in her eyes.

Before she could answer, a shrill scream ripped through the forest.

"Some girl's in trouble!" Yang said, looking around in alarm as she brushed Leo to the side. Blake had a look of dismay, having recognized the voice even at this distance.

"Blake, did you hear that?" Yang continued.

A slight tremble shook the ground under their feet, and Leo immediately frowned in alarm. The scream was momentarily forgotten by Yang as she watched him throw his backpack to the side, drop to all fours and press an ear to the ground.

They were once again distracted by another scream, this one long and drawn out.

As if someone was flying through the air.

"Blake, did you hear that?" Yang asked once more. "What should we do?"

The distant look of dismay was still on Blake's face.

"_Heads uuuuuuuup!"_ Ruby yelled, directly above them and falling fast.

"_When did that cookie scarfer learn how to fly?!_"Yang thought to herself.

* * *

_Well, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long, I've been distracted by Persona 4. Awesome game, and I can personally recommend the Vita version. Now for those curious about why the chapter title is what it is, it's a partial quote from Mackscorner. He's off youtube and he's hilarious. I thought it had a certain bit of irony to it.  
_

_Alright, here's the deal. This is basically the first time I've written another character that I haven't already made. I would really, really appreciate it if you guys would leave a review or a PM - this isn't some kind of guilt trip, I just need to know if I completely botched the character's personalities._

_Anyways, have good day and see ya's later._

_-RYNO_


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